Human hair will soon be found on moon: Brit astronauts aim for Space

Blighty-backed moonshot Lunar Mission One has managed to hit its Kickstarter goal of £600,000 in crowdfunding, just a day and a half ahead of the cut-off point.

After a fast-paced start, helped by media coverage and endorsements from the likes of celebrity rockstar physicist Brian Cox, raised £200,000 in three days, things slowed down somewhat - but the lunar attempt still managed to cross the finish line in time.

Over 6,500 people pledged to the start-off pot for Lunar Mission One’s dream of landing on the Moon again in an unmanned craft in 2024. The lucky backers will get rewards ranging from photos, videos and updates to digital libraries of personal pics and documents to be buried on the moon by the lander.

Some backers will even get the chance to send up a strand of their own (or someone else’s) hair, to be placed inside the hole that the lander plans to drill in the Moon.

Aside from providing a place for simian split ends, the drilled hole is also part of the scientific aspect of the mission to the Moon's South Pole. The project hopes to get down to a depth of at least 20m, and potentially as deep as 100m, to reach lunar rock that dates back up to 4.5bn years. The lander will also be checking out the South Pole as a potential site for a lunar colony.

Of course, £600,000 isn’t going to buy all that. Lunar Missions, the non-profit behind the project, is also hoping to get funding from commercial and public backing, as well as from the sale of the digital memory boxes that Kickstarter funders also have access to.

The organisation is so optimistic it’s even spoken about the possibility of there being money left in the kitty after Lunar Mission One for further Moon projects. ®